He's a wealthy York County businessman who's proud to call himself a garbage man, a candidate for Pennsylvania governor who is frequently compared to President Donald Trump, and a former political outsider who won the endorsement of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania.

What is Wagner's net worth?

How much has he spent on political campaigns?

A lot.

From 2007 through part of 2016, Wagner gave more than $3.2 million in direct contributions or loans to elect state lawmakers, judges and other candidates in Pennsylvania. The analysis was based on individual contributions of $1,000 or more.

And he is putting millions of his own money into his campaign for governor.

State Sen. Scott Wagner, left, speaks during the victory celebration for Dan Laughlin, right, who was elected to the 49th state Senate seat on Nov. 8, 2016. Wagner spent part of the evening at Laughlin's victory party, held at Brewerie at Union Station in Erie.(Photo11: JACK HANRAHAN/ERIE TIMES-NEWS)

Why was his state Senate victory in 2014 such a big deal?

He won with a write-in campaign to defeat the Republican and Democratic nominees.

The state wasn't aware of anyone ever winning a state legislative seat through a write-in campaign before Wagner did it.

Sen. Scott Wagner(Photo11: File photo)

How did he win in 2014?

He ran as an outsider, accused party leaders of rigging the system against him and talked about his business background.

He defended himself from several other attacks during that campaign, including that his business sued a woman over unpaid trash bills. The Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee ran ads saying that, "With millionaire trash man Scott Wagner, something doesn't smell right."

What has Wagner done in office?

Wagner helped push the General Assembly in a more fiscally conservative direction.

The story continues after this video about Wagner's campaign contributions.

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Ed Mahon lists Scott Wagner's top 5 campaign contributions and explains what that means for his run for governor.
Sean Heisey, York Daily Record

Along the way, he's also clashed with Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and public-sector unions. In 2015, Wagner took an abc27 television reporter on a helicopter ride over Pennsylvania schools to argue that the state already spends a lot of money on schools.

After he won the GOP nomination, he told Senate leadership that he would resign on June 4.

His campaign spokesman said he decided to resign so he can focus on his campaign for governor.

Why do people compare Wagner to Trump?

Here's how a writer for Philadelphia magazine put it earlier this year: "They’re both big-talking, hard-charging businessmen with multiple marriages who bum-rushed their way into politics even though the Republican establishment did everything in its power to stop them. They both have a talent for political theater and a tendency to fly off the handle."

In this July 2015 file photo, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks to a crowd of invited guests during an event at the Country Club of York. The event was hosted by state Sen. Scott Wagner.(Photo11: Jeff Lautenberger for The Daily Record/Sunday News)

What did Wagner say about global warming?

In March 2017, Wagner told a WITF reporter: "I haven't been in a science class in a long time, but the Earth moves closer to the sun every year — you know, the rotation of the Earth. We're moving closer to the sun."

He also said, "We have more people ... you know, humans have warm bodies. So is heat coming off? Things are changing ... but I think we are, as a society, doing the best we can."

What are Wagner's odds of winning the governor's race?

His campaign has released highlights from its internal polling that showed Wagner was the front-runner in the race. And he won the endorsement of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania in February.

In October 2018, the conservative National Review described him like this: "State senator Scott Wagner is hoping his blunt talk and results-oriented approach will be enough to unseat Democratic governor Tom Wolf in 2018. He might be right."

Does Wagner have a running mate?

Yes, Jeff Bartos, a real estate developer.

Wagner and Bartos are running together. But in Pennsylvania, governor and lieutenant governor candidates are decided separately in primaries and then join together as a ticket for the general election.

That means it’s possible Wagner could win the Republican nomination for governor, but someone other than Bartos could win the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor. And vice versa.

Where did Wagner grow up?

In York County. When he was a kid, he would shovel horse manure on his parents' York Township farm, he has said.

He graduated from Dallastown Area High School in 1973. He now lives in Spring Garden Township.